Liana boarded the carriage, and Mephilia quickly scooted over. She had also keenly noticed that the expression on Liana’s face was a little off.

“Did something happen?” Mephilia asked.

Liana explained the matter of the holy sword to Mephilia without any hesitation.

“You mean... Princess Nimeris might be involved with the demon race?” Mephilia said.

This was no small matter. Casually spreading such a rumor could make enemies of the entire Elf Forest.

“It’s just a guess.”

But Mephilia knew very well that what Liana called a guess was, in fact, almost a certainty.

If that were the case, then things were about to get much more troublesome, although they were already troublesome enough.

Besides, if it was as Liana said, then many things could be explained.

Why the elves, the mortal enemies of the demon race, were now the ones suffering the most from their corrosion.

“The holy sword is currently being ‘protected’ by Princess Nimeris, and the location is also very special. If we want to get it, I’m afraid it will cause quite a bit of conflict with the elf race,” Mephilia said.

“Yes. Otherwise, we could just forcefully retrieve the holy sword. As long as the sword is real, the elf race wouldn’t say much. But the problem is that Princess Nimeris is ‘protecting’ it, and we can’t find any evidence of her involvement with the demons. Even after obtaining the holy sword, we won’t be able to rest easy.” This was what worried Liana the most.

“In that case, as long as you can wield the holy sword, your words will carry some weight. If what you say is true, you’ll definitely be able to find some loophole.” Mephilia’s words reminded Liana of ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ something.

I am the wielder of the holy sword. It would be normal for me to be able to see things others can’t. In that case, accusing Nimeris of being involved with the demon race isn’t entirely unbelievable.

“You’ve reminded me... but that mountain isn’t something that can be moved so easily,” Liana shook her head.

That mountain could absorb mana, which meant it could only be dug out by hand. But with Nimeris protecting it now, she definitely wouldn’t give them that kind of time.

“Then this is troublesome.”

“But Sephirena told me not to worry. She also used the holy sword in the illusion, so she probably has some connection to it. She told me not to overthink it, to just leave the matter of the holy sword to her. She will help me bring it back,” Liana said.

Mephilia didn’t say anything more. Right now, they could only trust Sephirena. As an elf princess, she would certainly have an easier time than Liana.

After returning to their human residence, Mephilia could openly take Liana wandering around everywhere.

“By the way, I used this name before at the Angus Commerce Guild. It would be troublesome if I were exposed,” Liana said.

When she went to buy Sephirena, Liana had used this same alias.

“Even an elf princess couldn’t recognize you. Are you worried a human will?” Mephilia asked in return.

“That’s true...” Liana didn’t really believe these humans could recognize her. Besides, she had an invincible explanation.

Because Liana had used the name “Jacaranda” to save herself. But Liana had died, and now Sephirena was just commemorating Liana in her own way.

“The only pity is that I can’t be intimate with you outside. We have to keep a certain distance.”

“...”

“Why aren’t you saying anything?” Mephilia asked with a sweet smile.

“I don’t want to talk.” Liana rolled her eyes at Mephilia and quickened her pace.

“You were definitely about to say something just now,” Mephilia said, catching up.

Liana had indeed been about to say that since they couldn’t be intimate outside, they could just make up for it properly after they got back. But she suddenly realized that if she said that, the night ahead might not go so well for her.

However, once they were outside, it wasn’t appropriate for Mephilia to press the issue.

This was the third day since their return from the Elf Forest. On the day they got back, the King of Lisat had prepared a grand reception ceremony for the elves who had come to the kingdom.

Because the crowd was too large on the first day, Mephilia didn’t rush to see the king. On the second day, Oester was also going to see the king, so to avoid unnecessary trouble, Mephilia chose to go at a different time.

It was only on the third day that she came to His Majesty’s private garden and saw the King of Lisat. He looked much older than before.

“Your Majesty the King,” Mephilia said, coming before him.

“Mm.” The Lisat king was already prepared. He knew very well that Mephilia would come. “The one beside you must be Liana, correct?”

“Your Majesty, it has been a long time. It seems I haven’t properly thanked you yet. Thank you for your help, which allowed me to have such a long period of peace and quiet.” Liana took off the mask on her face.

“Your Highness Liana, long time no see.” A hand suddenly reached out and pinched Liana’s cheek.

“Lady Kasla?” Liana quickly recognized her. She was Minoga’s teacher, and also one of the ten Judges in the Lisat Kingdom, a guardian of the king.

“I’m so happy you still remember me, Your Highness,” Kasla said, smiling as she pinched Liana’s cheek.

“Ahem.” The old king coughed twice. They had official business to discuss today.

Kasla let go and stood behind the king.

“It was only what I should do. Consider it a meager compensation for you,” the king said.

“Tsk.” Mephilia made a sound of dissatisfaction.

The king didn’t say anything. It was normal for Mephilia to be angry with him. “Regarding the matters of the Elf Forest, Oester has already told me most of it. We also welcome the elves to come to the Ibett Magic Academy at any time, and we will send people to help search for the holy sword.”

Mephilia glanced at Liana. She would not say a single word about the holy sword. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Liana didn’t want to talk to the king about this matter right now either. Although she had a smile on her face, Liana kept in mind what he had done to her.

If he weren’t a decent king and the father of Mephilia, Liana would have turned hostile on him long ago.

What’s more, even if she told the king about this matter, it would be meaningless. He couldn’t help with anything.

“The elf princess said that they found the trace of the holy sword thanks to the books Oester gave them. Is this true?” Liana asked.

“...Yesterday, Oester told me about this matter.”

“Oh?” This put Liana on high alert. “Even the King of Lisat didn’t know about this?”

“This is what he told me, ‘Because time was tight, I didn’t have time to inform you, Father. I saw a book in the Ibett Magic Academy about the holy sword. I didn’t pay much attention to it at first, after all, it’s a legendary topic, like a fairy tale to us, something to just read and be done with. But at that moment, you suddenly spoke of the demon race, which made me take notice.

‘I was just about to tell you when you arranged for me to go to the Elf Forest. Seeing your grave expression, I didn’t say anything. What if it was just a misunderstanding? It wouldn’t be good to get your hopes up for nothing. And as it happened, I could use this opportunity to test it out in the Elf Forest. I didn’t expect it to actually work.’” The king of Lisat recounted Oester’s words.

Now, Liana was one hundred percent certain. That fellow Oester was definitely in the same boat as Nimeris. And the worst-case scenario was that Oester had already made contact with the demon race.

“Liana, you look a little pale,” the king noted the change in Liana’s expression.

“King of Lisat, what is your opinion of Oester? Do you think he has changed?” Liana asked.

The king shook his head. “I have seen everything he has done over the years. For the sake of power, he will stop at nothing. I do not believe he will have a change of heart.”

This reassured Liana somewhat. The Lisat King was still a relatively good judge of character.

“But this time, he has indeed made a great contribution. If he really helps the elves find the holy sword, the people’s support for him will also increase. After all, the people do not know what Oester has done behind the scenes,” the king said.

“If that really happens, what will you do? You have such high demands for Mephilia. You wouldn’t lower your standards for Oester, would you?” A clear complaint could be heard in Liana’s tone.

“On this point, I will absolutely be fair. If that really happens, I will also reveal what Oester and Hodwen did to you,” the king said.

“That’s more like it.” Liana nodded, somewhat satisfied.

Right now, only Liana dared to speak to the king like this.

“This time, did you discover anything during your trip to the Elf Forest?” the king asked.

“Specifically, I didn’t discover anything worth mentioning. It’s probably about the same as what Oester told you. Perhaps the only thing worth saying is that Princess Avira knows I’m still alive, and my relationship with the fourth princess of the Elf Forest, Princess Sephirena, is quite good,” Liana said.

“Is that so? Thank you for your hard work.” The king nodded. “If there is anything you need, you can ask me for help at any time. I will do my best to help you within my capabilities.”

Liana waved her hand dismissively. “That’s no longer necessary. We will prove ourselves, King of Lisat.”

Liana’s words were like a declaration of war to the king.

“Then we will take our leave first, Your Majesty.” After bowing, Mephilia and Liana left.

“Such arrogant behavior,” Kasla said with a laugh, not showing any anger or dissatisfaction at all, because she knew very well that the king had brought this upon himself.

“I do not dislike their behavior. I also know that what I did was wrong. Therefore, I look forward to the day she proves me wrong,” the king said.

“Wow, looking forward to the day your throne is taken away? What a strange king you are, Your Majesty,” Kasla chuckled.

“If the throne is taken away, it proves that the people of the Lisat Kingdom have found a better ruler. Isn’t that a good thing?” the King of Lisat said with an indifferent smile.

At this moment, a throwing knife suddenly embedded itself in the throne, right next to the king.

Neither of them was surprised, because they both knew very well who had arrived.

“I was originally going to teach you a lesson. Although I don’t know if you said that intentionally for me to hear, I am quite satisfied.” Orleya walked out at this moment. Beside her was a masked girl, who was naturally Loraviel.

“In your eyes, am I that unbearable, that lacking in responsibility, Orleya?” the king said, spreading his hands helplessly.

“Not really. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have chosen to assist you in becoming king,” Orleya said, playing with the dagger in her hand.

“You look much better now.”

The current Orleya was no longer the gloomy, thin assassin of the past. Her mental and physical state had improved considerably, and the expression on her face was no longer unreadable like before.

Right now, Orleya looked clearly happy.

“I met a good student. And seeing Liana like this now, I am very satisfied,” Orleya said.

The king glanced at Loraviel behind Orleya. If one didn’t look carefully, it was hard to notice her.

Orleya was very satisfied with Loraviel. She had taught her almost everything she could. Now, apart from practical combat and improving her own mana, Loraviel was completely fine.

“After hearing our conversation, what are your thoughts?” the king asked.

“Loraviel can now return to Liana’s side, and I am also free. Tell me, what do you want me to do?” Orleya asked.

“You are as reliable as ever. But this time, it might be a little troublesome.”

“Have there ever been only a few troublesome matters? You’ve become an ink grinder1墨迹 (mòji) “ink trace”, a colloquial term meaning to be long-winded, as if the person is an ink grinder.,” Orleya said.

“Go to the Elf Forest and investigate the matter of the holy sword,” the king said.

“The Elf Forest? I’ve been there many times. That doesn’t count as troublesome,” Orleya said.

“There is another key point. Keep a close watch on Oester. If he does anything unusual, do not hesitate. Stop him... or even, kill him.” The king hesitated for a long time, but still said it.

After hearing these words, Orleya was silent for a moment, then nodded heavily.

Orleya left the private garden with Loraviel. “Go. It’s time to return to Liana’s side.”

“Yes.” Loraviel nodded. “Thank you, Grandma Orleya, for your help during this time.”

“You deserve it. Keep up the good work. Don’t lose to that Mephilia girl.”

“...Yes.”